Wow! Another week has passed us by. I think time flies when so many things are going on.

This week’s challenge: Watch a movie in a genre you normally would never watch. For example, if you watch a lot of action/adventure movies, watch a comedy or tear jerker (Steel Magnolias is one example).

In the comments mention the movie you watched and what you thought of it. Did it suck or were you surprised by it?

When I look back at my life, I’m pleased. I’ve taken my knocks like anyone else does in life, but I’m proud of what I’ve done. I have lived a full life and there are so many good things yet to come.

I was reminiscing about my military career and all the places I got to visit and experience. Europe was one of my favorite places. I got to see a good chunk of Europe while I was assigned there and met so many great people. I also got to see some great places, enjoyed great food, and saw so many breath-taking sites.

Celebrating New Year at the Brandenburg gate the same year the wall came down was truly one of my most memorable events I was part of. I remember bumping into to college students from Harvard. I asked them, “Why the hell are you here?” Their reply: “Are you kidding? This is the best New Year’s celebration on the planet!” They were right. We shared some Jack Daniels and relished the moment.

Do I have regrets? You bet. I regret getting divorced twice. What did I learn? I learned to be a better husband. I regret filing bankruptcy twice. What did I learn? To never borrow money to buy a toy I would regret buying in a few months that made ZERO impact on my life.

The moral of this story: Get out there and do things. Experience things. Enjoy what you have while you have it. Make mistakes. Learn. Continue to do the things that scare you. What’s life if not lived on the edge?

For those of you that follow this blog, you know my love of reading. This week, because of my low energy (I’m still sick), I want to talk about why I love reading and why I set reading goals every year.

I have never been a big fan of fiction books.. I love a good story, but I love learning more. I’m constantly seeking new information with the hope of just finding one or more things I can do or use to make my life easier and more productive. Some books I read are philosophical, while others are more about hard science like physics, astronomy, or history. I also enjoy reading biographies. It is fascinating to see how others overcome great obstacles and win.

Whenever I get sick, I try to determine why or what I do that caused me to get sick. Colds and flus are just a nuisance. During the holidays I eat everything. I eat cakes, cookies, chocolate, junk food, you name it. When we have family visiting, you can also kick the sleep schedule, workout routine, and all the rest to the curb. Yeah, that’s why I’m sick. But there’s a silver lining. My sickness caused me to watch a few films and purchase a book about whole-food, plant-based diets. It really got me thinking, and I will make my transition to this lifestyle in February. I’m reading the Forks over Knives book now and will put that up in a review once I’m done. The book just makes great sense.

I also read a lot of books simultaneously. For example, I am reading 8 non-fiction books now and one fiction book. This is normally the ratio of non-fiction to fiction I read throughout the year. Of the 73 books I read last year, only 12 books were fiction books.

I enjoy reading books because you learn from other people. The people that take time to write a book about a particular topic are normally folks who have dedicated their lives to a specific area. They know the topic inside and out. They also know the pitfalls of trying to adopt the ideas in their book. I never try to adopt everything an author recommends. I look for one or two items that make sense regarding my life. For example, the very first thing I adopted out of the book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free productivity, by David Allen was his 2-minute rule. This rule recommends that if we run across anything in our life that takes less than two minutes to complete, you do it–right now and be done with it. This was life-changing for me.

When I read The 7 habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, I learned about the 7th habit labeled “Sharpening the Saw”. Again, this was life-changing. Sharpening the Saw is about improving those things in your life that have the greatest impact on everything else, like physical exercise, reading broadly, and planning.

Finally, when I read Mini Habits, by Stephen Guise, the one thing I grasped from my first reading was building habits by establishing extremely small thresholds for each habit I wanted to adopt. Who can’t do one push-up a day? Another huge game changer.

My life improved by reading these books. Each day I look for more of these game changers. One little tweak to my daily life that can bring huge benefits.

If you are not a huge fan of reading, I challenge you to fix that–NOW! We can all learn so much from those that have struggled with the same things we do and have found solutions to these problems. All it takes is a few bucks and your time. Start small. Dedicate 10 minutes of your day to read a few pages (say 5 or 10). It doesn’t matter the amount you read, just make it a daily habit. Before long you’ll be knocking out a lot of books and will reap the benefits of doing so. Think about it. If you could learn one thing you could add to your life that would change it dramatically, wouldn’t that 10 minutes a day be worth it? I think so.

Well, that’s it for today. I’m heading back to my herbal tea and a nap, so I can be done with this stupid cold. Have a great day folks!

The topic I wanted to talk about in this post is the ability to pursue your dreams without being influenced by others. You know the folks I’m talking about. The friendly naysayer, the practical parent or sibling, or even a trusted mentor. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut and go for it. What’s life worth if you are constantly towing the line with society, your friends, or social pressure in general?

It took me a long time to learn this. I used to always be concerned with the type of car I drove, the size of my house, the clothes I wore, the restaurants I went to, or how many likes I get on my recent Facebook post. Yeah, I was one of those guys. The guy who was always worried about the Smiths, the Jones, or whatever pseudonym you want to use. I was that guy.

I have nothing against making a lot of money and sucking life dry. What I do have a problem with is the pursuit of things because of what people will say. It’s not worth it. Trust me.

Pursue the life you want. Chase after the dreams that are important to you. Who cares if no one has done what you want to do? Do it. Don’t be the guy or gal on their deathbed, wishing they would have done that thing they always wanted to. Do it. The only way you are going to find out if the path you choose is right is by walking it. Get out there and have an adventure.

Be the person in your family who starts a business, who decides to travel the world living frugally and with only what you have in your backpack, or writes that book you’ve got inside you. Go out to eat on your own and enjoy the company of strangers, sit in that coffee shop and write, go to that craft event and interact with the people running the booths. Whatever you decide to do is yours. No one else’s.

Life is a grand adventure. Your life is yours. You will get all you need to while you’re here. Take a risk, forge a new way to do something, ask that girl or guy out, go to that concert, or ride that roller coaster. Try new foods, listen to new types of music, explore a new genre of books or movies, you have nothing to lose, but the great experiences waiting for you.

The life you live is a blessing. I am grateful for every moment I am here, to live, to love, to laugh, to learn. Each experience we have builds on the next and the next and the next.

Looking back there are plenty of examples when life was tough. I wouldn’t trade any of them away. All these experiences got me to where I am today. I am grateful for every hurt, every betrayal, every lapse in health, every disappointment, and every failure. They all contribute to my life.

As time passes by, the bad things fade and the good things remain. Things always get better. That’s the nature of life.

Enjoy the beauty of simple things and simple moments. A warm cup of coffee while you look at the snow outside your window. A shared moment with a loved one knowing exactly what each other is thinking. A good meal with family and friends. Laughing so hard you can’t breathe. Enjoying a book with a cup of tea and spending your day in pajamas. I could go on and on.

You have your own memories and moments that bless your life. Be grateful for every moment you have been alive. Life’s adventure continues for all of us.

Today is a recovery day. The wedding yesterday was terrific, but we are all really tired. We have been relaxing today, watching some shows on Netflix. I’m going through my daily to-do list and knocking out all of the things I am scheduled for including this blog posting.

I’m going to wait until I return to Michigan to get my photos up. It’ll take up too much time going through them now (I took a lot of them including videos). I’ll check in again tomorrow!